Monday, July 20, 2009

Jason Schmidt is back. And the holder of one win in his three years of $47M contracted service (which by my calculations comes out to $47M per win, but someone should check my math) is pitching Monday night:

One big question surrounding Schmidt is whether, after the former All-Star's long rehabilitation following shoulder surgery, he can get batters out despite not having his once-torrid velocity.

"There have been plenty of guys that have been able to reinvent themselves as a pitcher," said Dodgers trainer Stan Conte, who held the same job in San Francisco when Schmidt pitched for the Giants.

"Jason will get that opportunity, and we'll see what we see, whether or not the shoulder can hold up and whether he can be effective at a major-league level" Conte said.

Schmidt wasn't available for comment in the Dodgers' clubhouse ahead of today's game against the Houston Astros. But Torre said Schmidt's start was likely to "be an emotional one," and Conte said of Schmidt: "He's anxious."

He's anxious? Shoot, what about us? Or what about Ned Colletti, whose other ~$45M contract that offseason (the 2007 signing of Juan Pierre) took all the way to this year before it started to pay above-expectation dividends?

All eyes will be on Schmidt tonight. But the good news is, at least he's got the sub-.500, fifth-place Reds on tap for his 2009 debut. Let's go get that second win, Jason!